John D. Pennecamp, WOW! MM 102
We're back again! Pennekamp, WOW! I'll be adding to this site periodically. What I DO know, it's been a journey. Numerous experiences and ALL GOOD!  Taking a boat trip out to ANYWHERE out there is a blessed trip to live your life for! It's like putting on some headphones and going into an environment that is not your own. Cut out the street noise,the camp noise, the motel noise, the TV, the voices, the commercials, the news, the very things that nag at you everyday. I've done this several different ways and keep coming back to the idea of respect to the environment you're entering. I'm putting on my headphones again and going back down. I'll be back soon with more.
I'm amazed by going under water and a whole new "voice" settles into your head. As your eyes look around, your senses get elevated, certain voices come in your head, defense thoughts come to mind, breathing through the tube challenges your stamina, swallowing sea water is pushing your limit, going up to get gasps of air, finding your dive partner, disoreintation, how much time do I have, where is my partner, etc., etc., etc. WELL, calm down, and take a breath! Time has not left you! There is a WONDERFUL world to engage with. Colors, sensations, tactile experiences, and simplicity. Just "feel" it and let your better nature take over.
It seems achievable as you head out, the half hour boat ride though challenges your second thoughts,  the faces you see as you're going out have mixed messages, there is excitement and apprehension at the same time. The outer coral reefs, where we're going, are 3-8 miles off-shore. We're going out to Dry Docks Reef where "Christ of the Deep" is located.These outer reefs are 10 to 30 feet deep. We'll be moored for an hour and a half of snorkeling. The inner reefs are 5-15 feet deep. Scuba divers can go out to Molasses Reef for a 30-45 foot depth.
I'm here to tell you, you've made a step into 70% of our world covered with water! Adjust. Relax. Rethink. ENJOY! Respect and ENJOY!
Over one million people visit this park each year!
I'm going to leave right now and put together my thoughts about the different things of your magnificent experience!
On one of my first times here, I was adjusting my mask and snorkel at the surface, when my thoughts wondered who is this Pennekamp? I assumed it was a person but male or female? Why was this place named after him or her? Did they live here? As I adjusted my equipment and looked around the surface of the water, I saw heads bobbing up and down, fins doing a jack knife movement then disappearing down into the surface. People in groups taking pictures, others climbing back into the boat, yet others getting back into the water. A frenzy of people totally enjoying this simple yet energizing experience. Who was this person that had the foresight to give us this wonderful opportunity to experience such an outdoor wonderment. Hot balmy day with a slight breeze. Luxurious water temperature wrapping around you. Feet dangling into another world to explore. Well back down we go.
As I look over at my two boys, one is diving and kicking furiously towards the bottom. There's Christ of the Sea with his arms reaching out towards the heavens and my son is mimicking the pose next to him. What a shot with my underwater camera. Light filtering down, illuminating both of them. I then notice there is a group of divers, maybe five or six, slowly combing the bottom. My other son seems to be preoccupied with something down around the coral bottom. It turns out he was watching a barracuda that was meandering it's way thru the crevices of coral and sea grass. One breath and all of that was happening. Going back up now to catch another breath. Once all three of us were back up I had a person near by take some pictures of us. Next thing I know the two of them are back down. After pocketing my camera I followed.
As I'm going back down to explore, I recall coming into the park. Somewhat of a nondescript sign, almost missed it, and a short winding tree lined road leads you into an open feeling parking lot. Beaches over to the left, a building straight ahead and another building a little further down. We left our Islamorada hotel (check out at the bottom of this page a list of a couple dozen different places to stay, within a 25 mile radius), this morning around 10:00. Had a leisurely breakfast, collected our stuff, and hit the Overseas Highway going north. We've stayed at many different types of places. Some marinas, some resorts, some camping, some motor lodges, some swanky hotels, some beach side camping, even pulled over in the car a couple of times and spent the night in a hammock. One of these times we're going to stay at the Jules' Undersea Lodge. Take a brief lesson in scuba diving then emerge ourselves down about 30 feet into one of the more unique hotels you'll find on planet Earth. Look, there's along slender dark object sliding it's way along the bottom, must be another barracuda. As I look around there are numerous schools of fish of different sizes, colors, and species. All moving at different patterns and speeds. Some moving away from the commotion we're creating by being here, others seemingly unimpressed by us being there but moving with the gentle current I'm feeling. There is a slight undulation, from side to side, while I'm kicking thru the water. Looking for my son's as I'm going back up for a breath.
Breaking up through the surface, my thoughts go back to Pennekamp. It turns out he moved to Miami in 1925, from Cincinnati, where he grew up as a boy. Born in 1897, he went into the newspaper business at age 14 and held progressively new positions. After arriving in Miami, he became an avid environmentalist. His long relationship with the Miami Herald provided him a platform to be an advocate to do extraordinary things for the environment. 50 years of being the associate editor, city editor, daily columnist, and news editor, gave him the voice to influence the opinions on the environment. He even, in 1948, got involved in state law when John D. Pennekamp and The Miami Hearld Publishing Company vs. the State of Florida was won by the Miami Hearld proving that the right to criticize the courts, by newspapers, was upheld. The Florida Attorney General was known to have called Pennekamp a "cur" ( a person who is contemptible, mean, or cowardly). This was taking place during the Everglades National Park was being forged. Everglades National Park was formed in 1947. Pennekamp"s leadership was instrumental in it's creation. Pennekamp became, and held, the Chairmanship of the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials from 1953 through 1976. This period of time grew the seed for the underwater park. In 1960, the Governor of Florida named the first underwater park in America. The Governor cited John Pennekamp as one of the most dedicated environmentalists of his time, and named that park The John D. Pennekamp State Park. Roughly covering 100 square miles of mangrove shoreline. it was the first of it's kind. Pennekamp retired from the newspaper in 1976 at the age of 79.  Two years later, 1978, he passed away at the age of 81. Pennecamp was also very instrumental in establishing Hugh Taylor Birch Park down around Islamorada, Bahia Honda and Sandspur Beach, and Everglades Park Reunion. This scope of environmental advocacy and service is certainly the reason for this lofty naming of this park after him. I certainly agree and want to THANK him, and all the others involved, for carving out these pieces for us to enjoy for many years to come.
Time to go back down. Where are those kids? Clear the snorkel, clean the lens, big gulp of air, head down, fins up and down I go. Seems to be a slightly warmer thermo-clime this time. They seem to flow with the currents. I have not seen any dolphins but, not to worry, we're going back over to Dolphins Plus, also in Key Largo. We'll get our experiences, again, with swimming with dolphins, latest marine mammal research updates, and tours. There they are, hovering around the brownish brain coral. It looks like a giant ball of yarn, with it's striations of colonies growing in multiple patterns. Apparently that's not the only thing they're looking at. As I get closer, I observe the lobster, scooting across the bottom floor. This environment is like a tropical rain forest under water. Each dive back down gives me pause as I see the brain coral and all its polyps, sea fans, star coral, sea plumes, sponges, over 600 different species of fish. Not every time you go there will you see the same things. Partially because you'll never swim in exactly the same spot. You might see jelly fish, sea anemones, and elkhorn one time, and staghorn, shrimp, and barracuda another. One thing for SURE is you'll always see Lot's of Different organisms living amonst each other! I suggest you watch some of the videos and talk to park personnel, back at the check in, so at least you have a prelimminary idea of what your looking at. These coral reefs are different than the rock reefs along our northeast coast line, nor the algae reefs of the South Pacific, nor the manmade artificial reefs, or a coral atoll you find down in the Dry Tortugas. These are a community of organisms, all interacting with each other. As I go back up to get my breath, another thought came to mind. Do I have to worry about an anchor come drifting down on top of me. NO. It's against the law to drop anchor in this area. There are specific "mooring buoys" dispersed throughout the area where boats with divers, snorkelers, and swimmers can tie up to. Check with the front check in area for areas of longitude/latitude locations.
Back at the surface. Yes, these and more thoughts will creep into your mind. It's quite introspective and cleansing. You actually have time to think about things, without the everyday bombardment on your being! While I'm up here bobbing on the surface, I'm thinking about the various aspects and opportunities here. More in a second, I've got to defog my mask.
As I'm regrouping and adjusting things, taking in the warm rays of the sun I'm thinking about this whole complex at Pennekamp.
-Pennekamp and the adjacent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary comprise over 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs/sea grass beds / mangrove swamps / tropical hammocks which you explore yourself or go by guided tour(check with park rangers).
 Numerous nature trails, canoe and kayak trails, Largo Sound beaches, play grounds, and campgrounds. There are 47 full facility sites for campers and RV's. Canoes, sit on top kayaks, and sea kayaks can be rented for excursions thru the winding wild mangroves creeks
-Park areas contain numerous pavilions equipped with barbeque grills and picnic tables.
-The WHOLE family can be entertained in a multitude of ways. Visit the 30,000 gallon aquarium at the visitor center. Take in the nature videos and see what's out there. There's many opportunities for scuba diving and snorkeling. There is a PADI 5-Star Gold Palm Facility which offer diving excursions in two different locations twice daily. There's fishing,on shore, in designated areas. Many environmental programs are offered. there are 3 areas for swimming. One of them, Cannon Beach, has an old Spanish shipwreck about 100 feet out off the beaches edge.
-The Flagship glass bottom boat Spirit of Pennekamp, is a 65 foot. Another boat is a high speed catamaran which can hold up to 30 people. It usually goes out 3 times daily. Another boat is called the Encounter. Disabled people go FREE with a paying adult. It is a "wheel chair friendly" ship. There are wheel chair tie-downs and oversized marine heads.
-There is dock space for private boats, which have full electric and water hook-ups.
Time to jack knife and go back down and see some more.
Thank you for "crawling" the Keys with me. I'd love to hear from you! gonenative@floridakeysimpressions.com
 Hope to see YOU at Pennekamp SOON!
Here is a BEGINNING list of different types of accommodations for you, within a 25 mile radius of Pennekamp!
Pick YOUR preference of Booking Agent:
EXPEDIA / hotels.com / priceline / allinclusive outlet / Hotwire / StudentUniverse / OneTravel / hotelscombined / CheapTickets
Get some Florida Keys gear today!
gonenative Island Wear
       
2-5 miles
Gilbert's Resort in Key Largo
Azul Del Mar in Key Largo
Amy Slate's Amoray Drive Resort in Key Largo
Marriot Key Largo Bay Beach Resort in Key Largo
5-10 miles
Key West Inn Key Largo in Key Largo
Marina Del Mar in Key Largo
Key Largo Resorts in Key Largo
Bayside In Key Largo in Key Largo
Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo
Sheraton Beach Resort Key Largo in Key Largo
10-15 miles
Mariner's Resort Villas & Marina by Keys Caribbean in Key Largo
Key Largo Grande Resort & Beach Club in Key Largo
Key Largo Grande Resort & Beach Club a Hilton Res in Key Largo
Dove Creek Lodge in Key Largo
Ocean Pointe Suites in Key Largo
15-25 miles
Edgewater Lodge in Islamorada
Pelican Cove Resort & Marina in Islamorada
Drop Anchor Resort & Marina in Islamorada
Holiday Isle Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada
Chesapeake Beach Resort in Islamorada
Ocean Dawn Suites in Islamorada
Islander Resort in Islamorada
Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada
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